The Past, Present and Future of Print Digital Workflow (II)

Digital workflow advancement

Drupa2004 vigorously promoted the JDF (Job Definition Format), expecting that the prepress, printing, and postpress manufacturing processes and business management could all be incorporated into the system in the Internet era. JDF elements became the mainstream of printing technology, from the PDF prepress process to the JDF printing process. .

To drupa2008, JDF is no longer the subject of the show. Most of the technology suppliers' products have already supported JDF, that is, they can exchange data with ERP or MIS management systems through file formats such as JDF. From pre-press layout, RIP or software controlling CTP output, to printing presses and even post-press processing equipment, JDF and Other processes can exchange management data. It seems that JDF has unified the printing process. The famous prepress exhibitors have focused their attention on the display of gorgeous digital presses and believe that the digital workflow can help the printing industry to survive the cold, low-profit era.

The choice of digital workflow

The workflow arranges different software in an orderly manner so that the production process can be performed smoothly. A good workflow is to make the work smoother, rather than the more service items the better.

The selection process is as simple as selecting a car. You know the horsepower and torque data of your car. You also know that the maximum torque can be achieved at a certain engine speed. The difference is that the car cannot be distinguished when it is opened. The main reason is that you drive a car. The purpose is not to reach 100 km/h in just a few seconds. However, Slogan takes you into an emotional world. You spend money on a horse that once straddled the Sahara, but you are stuck in a row of turtles on the Beijing Viaduct every day. The same is true for the process. Your needs are actually very simple. Don't be fooled by adjectives piled up in slogans.

Prepress process for the plate, must design the layout in accordance with the order of processing, in the output before the CTP version of the revision, have avoided the work from scratch, so whether it is RIP, imposition, digital proofing and output CTP version of the management have to The smooth arrangement can ensure that the errors in the printed matter are zero.

The printing process focuses on print schedules. There are multiple printing presses. How many jobs are arranged on a daily basis? Is the print version ready and real-time before printing? How can print colors match the printing unit? How to arrange the time most effectively when the printer is faulty or maintained? How does the press speed match every live print? How to estimate the next job time for each press? As for how to save the time spent on printing paper, ink and ink, it is the effect of digital printing on the production efficiency.

Now that the printing process needs to be solved is to improve every detail in the printing process and properly save energy and materials at the right time, JDF is required to link the business, management and production departments and manage the entire printing process. Not just the department that uses computers before printing.

JDF is an open file format. As long as a certain software used by a printing plant needs to exchange data with other organizations, for example, the salesperson must notify the accounting of the contents and turnover of a certain contract, and the payment method; also notify the public project manager Time of goods, quantity or printing needs; the public works department must issue work orders to the various production departments; the production department must also notify the data produced by the management department, and feedback the execution results of work orders. If different software does not use a common file format, it is like working partners who do not speak the same language and cannot communicate with each other. How can the process be smooth?

Therefore, JDF is not a software or hardware, but a standard language for software and hardware communication between processes. Most of today's process software claims to support JDF, but all heroes are useless because no other software can exchange data with it. For example, the pre-press process usually includes several processes, and various processes can use JDF to communicate with each other, or they can use the original document exchange method, which has no impact on the benefits. The important thing is that if the prepress department can transfer the graphic data on the CTP plate to the printing press, the printer's ink release time will be saved. Each ink key will save 3 seconds and 32 ink keys will be saved. In 96 seconds, four colors saved about 400 seconds. If you print 10 jobs, you can save 4000 seconds a day, and only 3600 seconds an hour! At this time, the importance of JDF can be discovered. (Note: The function of PPF is basically the same. At present, PPF has become a part of JDF)

The concept of the original process was to smoothly arrange the digitization process. Later, because the salesperson of the prepress equipment supplier sold the CTP for his company's process advertising, he made the buyer think that the process should be complete. A collection of pre-software. After the installation, it was found that most of the functions were not available. Most of the process users asked the question “Where is the JDF?” and even the engineers who installed the process were not clear.